The Dream
by CutesyChocopie
Summary: Ichigo had a dream, more like a nightmare revolving around a certain brown haired girl from his friend circle. Thanks to that, he finally admits his feelings - that was different from the rest of his friends - towards her. And Ichigo relaizes that, perhaps the said dream wasn't that bad after all. (Read and Review :))


_A/N : ANOTHER IchiHime one-shot for you all. I was hoping to stop writing for a week and give my thoughts a break but this idea had other things planned for me and I had to give in to it's wishes. Anyway, hope y'all like it, let me know with your reviews okay? ;)_

**Disclaimer : I do not own Bleach...sadly. All characters belong to Kubo-senpai!**

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_"INOUE.."_

Ichigo Kurosaki woke up in a daze at the middle of the night as soon as the name escaped his lips. He was panting hard while sweating buckets. _What the hell was it about?! _He didn't know and strangely enough, he didn't want to remember. The only thing he knew was that it was something about _her_. He had a sinking feeling in his heart and he had no idea how to get rid of it. Somewhere deep inside he was scared, scared that something might have happened to her. He immediately started looking for his substitute shinigami batch, being fully aware that he won't be able to fight something as a human like he would as a shinigami. Upon finding it, he quickly jumped out of his bed and shoved it in his shorts pocket.

Ichigo left his house in a hurry leaving back a completely confused Kon. He ran down an alley and to a familiar neighbourhood, he knew very well. He kept his senses alert trying to recognize any unfamiliar spiritual pressure. Ichigo stopped in front of a building, his destination. He was panting now as he made his way to the second floor where he knew her apartment was.

Ichigo knocked on the door once, waiting for an answer but none came. He grew impatient as he knocked yet another time. He heard some ruffling of clothes and a loud _thud _from inside. His eyes narrowed in alarm. As he was about to reach for his substitute shinigami batch the door flew open revealing a feminine figure completely wrapped from head to toe in..._are those bed sheets?_ His eyes widened at the truly unexpected sight.

"Um...Inoue?"

"K-Kurosaki-kun..." he saw a pair of sparkling gray eyes peeking from a little opening.

"Inoue...what...is this?" he blinked wondering if he was still dreaming. Knowing how clumsy she can be, he shouldn't have been surprised but how often do you see someone bundled up in sheets standing in front of you? It was unusual even for Orihime Inoue.

"Ah...I was cold." she said finally making Ichigo snap out of his thoughts.

"Cold?" he raised a brow looking slightly confused.

"Yeah..haha I thought wrapping myself up like this will help and just when I...um..did that I heard the knock..I tried to free myself but...um...seems like I am s-stuck haha." Ichigo fought back the urge to laugh so hard that it hurt.

Orihime noticing the look on his face started feeling her cheeks burn in embarrassment. She just made a fool out of herself in front of her crush!

Ichigo cleared his throat drawing her attention back to him, "...if you want I can help you get out of this." he said calmly as Orihime blinked.

"No...Kurosaki-kun doesn't need to go through the trouble really, I will be fine!" she said and Ichigo knew she would be flailing her arms if only they weren't stuck. He shook his head slightly, before replying.

"Don't worry, it's nothing." he entered the apartment and closed the door behind. "Come on, we don't want you to be stuck in there forever now do we?" he smiled at her as she blushed yet again, thank god he couldn't see that blush.

Ichigo stepped closer to her and poked - what he guessed to be her cheek - "...can you walk?" he asked her.

"Y-Yeah..I mean I can jump haha." she said before jumping a few steps and almost tripping over. "She slowly looked back at him who was now watching her with interest as she tried to stop the embarrassment in her voice before speaking, "I..uh..was never good in sack race, you see haha. But...I..uh will get used to it." she said smiling sheepishly which he couldn't see, before going for another attempt till she felt an arm snake around her back and another under her knees. Before she clould protest or say anything else Ichigo lifter her up in bridal style.

"Ku-Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime blushed furiously as she prayed to heavens so he wouldn't be able to see her before realizing her face was completely wrapped too.

Ichigo felt her stiffened as he sighed. "Relax, I won't hurt you." he smiled as he felt her relax.

"N-NO! I..I mean I didn't mean that." she said, trying to keep her voice calm. Being so close to him she could feel the warmth he was emitting, his scent was making her dazy. He chuckled, "I know you didn't." He walked to her bedroom carrying her in his arms and laid her down on the bed gently.

"So where shall I start from..hmm.." he mumbled before leaning in close to her looking for a place to start from...

_So close... _Orihime gulped really hard.

"U-Um...Kurosaki-kun.." her voice barely audible as it took all of her to keep her voice from shaking.

"Yeah?" Ichigo who was still looking for a way to get her rid of the mess, was completely oblivious to the fact that the girl now almost_ under_ him was burning from embarrassment.

"T-Too clo-..."

"Ah! Found it!"

"_Oh."_

"You okay there Inoue?" Ichigo asked before going to tug on the small knot that kept the sheets in place around her right shoulder. Ichigo had no idea in the world how does one make a knot like that when both their hands are wrapped inside but again this was Inoue. Of course she could pull out something like that and it shouldn't be at all surprising.

In the meantime Orihime felt a little dissapointed as he pulled away from her face, no matter how much she wanted to deny it she liked the closeness way more than she expected. But she couldn't tell him that now, could she?

A few minutes passed and Orihime sighed in relief as Ichigo freed her off the sheets completely. He smiled at her looking equally relieved.

"Here you go!" he said seeming happy with himself. Orihime nodded and smiled sheepishly.

"Arigatou Kurosaki-kun. You're always there to help me, no matter what and when." she rubbed the back of her head as she continued. "...Guess you know too well how clumsy I can be."

"Don't mention it." he chuckled. "And yes you are clumsy but isn't that why you are Orihime Inoue. I mean you wouldn't be yourself without that." she blushed slightly at his words.

"A-Arigatou." she said again. She was glad he came here to help her, thanks to him she was out of that mess or else she would have been stuck there for who knows how long. Orihime was lost in her thoughts when it suddenly hit her.

"Um...Kurosaki-kun?"

"Yeah?" Ichigo looked a little busy looking around her bedroom, it was the first time he was there and he had to admit for someone like Inoue the room was pretty decent and beautifully arranged. The interiors reminded him of Yuzu and Karin's bedroom, a little girl-ish but it still maintained a classy look.

"I don't mean to sound rude haha but umm... why is Kurosaki-kun here at this hour? I mean, did you need something? Did something happen?" she asked looking curious as Ichigo was brought out of his thoughts.

_Why was he here?_ Ichigo kept thinking about the reason, trying to remember why. _It was.._"...the dream."

And then it hit him. His throat suddenly felt dry as he finally remembered what the dream was and why he was worried about her, which made him fall silent as he looked down at his own hands resting on her bed.

"The dream? What dream? Did Kurosaki-kun have a...nightmare?" Orihime looked confused as well as a little worried. Ichigo did not reply for a second.

"Ne, Inoue?" he started, his voice low and there was something about it that Orihime couldn't really put a finger on.

"Yeah...Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime was getting impatient and more worried. She could see it. Something was really bothering him.

"Promise me something." he said before looking up. He was now staring right into her eyes as Orihime shivered from the intensity. She nodded nonetheless signalling him to continue. Ichigo took her right hand in his and pressed it slightly before linking his fingers with hers. She stared at thier interwined hands as she felt her cheeks getting warmer, before looking up to see something in his eyes that wasn't quiet right. It was like he was trying his best not to break out into tears. She blinked as she felt like someone just punched her in the guts.

"Don't...ever...leave...me..._back all_ _alone_." he let out in a breath as Orihime's eyes widened.

"Wh-What?" she didn't know what else to say at that moment. She felt like all the air had been sucked out of her lungs.

"Please..Even if it's for my sake.. Just don't.." he said again before bringing their locked hands up and pressing to his chest. "Promise me...that you won't.."

"K-Kurosaki-kun...I.." Orihime blushed at his gesture but didn't retreat her hand, she could tell that he was somewhat in pain. And she felt bad for feeling bashful whereas he was in that state.

"I am sorry if it's too much to ask for..and I am sorry if it's selfish...but...please.." he said looking away from her this time trying to hide the desperation in his voice even though he knew he failed already. It took a few moments for Orihime to process it all in her mind. He was afraid of losing..._her_? Orihime felt her heart skip a beat as she smiled. She brought her other hand to his cheek and made him look at her, back into her eyes. He stiffened under her touch but relaxed as soon as their eyes met. 'Cuz the only thing that he could see in those mesmerizing gray orbs was certainity, reassurance..

"I will never leave Kurosaki-kun...no matter what it takes I...will always be by his side." her smile was bright and it was emitting a strange kind of warmth that put Ichigo in ease. There was just something about her that always did it to him and he didn't even know why..till that dream. Maybe it wasn't that bad after all.

"Thank you." he mumbled as a smile formed on his own lips.

"Mhm-Hmm.. it's what I want to do and that's why there is nothing to thank me." she said making his heart skip a beat this time. He nodded in understanding before leaning down slowly to lay his head on her lap. Orihime who wasn't expecting it blushed furiously. She felt her heart beats racing faster than ever. She hesitated a little before bringing a hand to run through his hair. It was unexpectedly..._soft. _

Ichigo didn't stop her, he liked it instead. Her small yet gentle fingers running through his hair with such care, as if she was afraid to hurt him. He didn't know how but he never knew how it felt to be protected by someone since his mother passed away.

He had always been trying his best and protecting others since then but today.. he felt so protected.. so _safe, _for the first time in years. And now that he did, he had no intention of letting it slip away.

A really comfortable silence fell between them as Orihime started humming softly in her angelic voice while playing with his hair. Ichigo laid there with eyes closed. His soft breathing told her that he had fallen asleep. She felt her own eyelids getting heavy after a while. She yawned and rested her head on the bedpost. Her fingers still interwined in his orange locks as sleep overcame her as well.

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Ichigo woke up as warm rays of sunlight hit his face from the slight opening in the thick curtains on the window. He groaned as he wished he could sleep for a few more hours. That was till Ichigo realized the interiors of the room he was in, wasn't his. His eyes shot open as he remembered the previous night's event. His cheeks felt warm and he realized it wasn't just from embarrassment but also the closeness between him and the said bedroom's owner. Ichigo blinked as he tried to process the position he was in. His arms were wrapped around the waist of Orihime Inoue, his head on her lap as she was leaning on the bedpost fast asleep, one of her hands in his hair the other around the nape of his neck.

Ichigo was so lost in his own embarrassment that he didn't notice the said girl now wide awake staring right at him with wide eyes as her cheeks were just as red as his.

"O-Ohayo...Kurosaki-kun.." she said slowly as he was brought out of his thoughts. He jerked off the bed way too suddenly to have time for maintaining his footing and the result was him on the floor while a loud 'thud' echoed in the room.

"Ow.. um..Ohayo!"

"Kurosaki-Kun!" Orihime's eyes widened slightly in concern as she threw off the blankets and quickly went down to him. "You okay? Are you hurt by any chance?" she was now checking him for any injuries.

"I am fine Inoue.. Really trust me." he said trying to calm her down. There was no way he would be injured by something like that even though he promised himself he was never going to try jumping off a bed again.

She seemed to have realized the same thing as she backed away and nodded. An awkward silence fell between them, both with no idea of how to start a conversation.

"Um...about last night...Well.." Ichigo started looking down at the floor, even though he had no idea what to say.

"I-It's okay.. Kurosaki-kun.. I can understand you were tired and all and didn't mean to say all that and it's fine.. We ca-can pretend that nothing happened." Ichigo felt an instant shock followed by disappointment as she said that. He never said he wanted to forget it. He looked up to read her expressions and what he saw was nothing that he had expected. She had a smile on her face - not one of her genuine smiles - as she was looking away from him. She looked upset and he felt like someone just dropped a bucket of ice water at him.

"Inoue..."

"I said it's okay Kurosaki-ku-..." her words died in her lips as soon as Ichigo pulled her in for a tight embrace. Orihime felt her eyes widen while her heart skipped a beat.

"I don't want us to forget the promise you made last night. Cuz there was not a single word I didn't mean when I said it." he smiled as he felt her relax with every word he spoke. He pulled away from the hug as soon as he heard his phone ring, much to Orihime's disappointment even though she didn't let it show.

Ichigo flipped open his phone but before he could see the caller ID, he noticed the time. _Just one more hour till their school_. His jaw literally dropped as he quickly stood up.

"We have school!" he declared to Orihime who looked slightly confused.

"Yeah um...we do?"

"I mean in just one hour!" Ichigo couldn't believe how carefree she was till he realized the obvious. "Oh." she was in her own house, _he _was the one that was out of place. His cheeks felt warm in embarrassment as he looked away, the ever present scowl in his face appearing this time.

"Well...uh.. I guess I will leave now." he said before going to scratch the back of his head looking anywhere but her. Orihime giggled at his embarrassment and nodded.

"Hai.. see you in school." she said before standing up herself. He nodded this time before turning to leave.

"Oh and..." Ichigo stopped as he seemed to be thinking of something before continuing. "...will you go out with me...Hime?" he said as his back was turned at her so she couldn't see the blush adorning his cheeks. Little did he knew she was too busy in trying to hide her own cheeks that felt like being on fire at the moment. Her eyes as wide as saucers. She totally wasn't expecting it, going out with Kurosaki-kun.. Wasn't the answer obvious?

"Yes, Ichi-kun.." she let out in a breath a few moment later.

Ichigo stood there for a minute processing her answer in his mind. He never realized how good it will feel hearing his first name in her voice. He tilted his head slightly and smiled at her, "I am glad...you said yes." he said before walking out of the room.

Orihime pinched herself to make sure it wasn't just a dream.

"Ouch.." the next moment she was on her bed clutching a pillow close to her chest and kicking her legs in air out of sheer excitement.

Ichigo walked out of her building as he shoved his hands in his pockets of his shorts. His hand brushed the substitute shinigami batch as he remembered the previous night even better.

The dream.. Where he ended up losing her.. It was the same when he lost his mother, she had given up her life to save him from that hollow. The only difference this time was, it was Orihime saving him even though he was no longer that helpless child with no power.. she gave up his life to save him.

Ichigo cringed at the memory. He was never going to let that happen he was not going to lose someone as precious to him yet again. He promised himself to protect her with both his heart and soul right at that moment, and he was not backing away, since there were so many things he had decided to do with her. And he knew.. his feelings for her - which were more than just a friend - that he finally admitted is going to help him through that planned journey with her.

_And right when she held me close I knew,_

_There is no one else better for me._

_Cuz maybe she is not the most perfect woman in the world,_

_She was still my light in the dark; She is none other than my Princess.._

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_A/N : Another IchiHime oneshot done! I hope y'all like it as much as I did myself. It took me 4 hours to type this up including the recheck for grammatical mistakes etc etc. And yeah I skipped my dinner for that which I do NOT regret even though I am so hungry right now T~T_

_BUT ANYWAY, I am so glad that you guys like my stories and fave it and review it, it makes me so happy to see how generous you all are with my crappy writting ahaha. Okay jokes apart! I really want to thank you all for being with me through every story I post. I hope to keep entertaining you like this buuuut I need inspiration, and my inspirations are obviously your amazing reviews! So please please please review, I will be looking forward to it!_

_P.S : I am marking this story as complete, I might add another chapter later when I feel like it even though I don't think there is any need for a sequel, ne? Let me know what you think okay?_

_P.S.S : The quote at the end of the story is something I came up with and is not to be used without asking me please? ^-^_

_See ya till next time! Hugs and kisses to everyone~_


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